Student recognition for academic innovation

The School of Geography and Planning’s Dr Craig Gurney has been shortlisted at the 2018 Enriching Student Life Awards (The ESLAs).

Dr Gurney has been nominated in the category for Most Innovative Member of Staff, alongside colleagues from the School of Social Sciences, and the School of English, Communication and Philosophy.

The ESLAs, now in their eighth year, are run by Cardiff University’s Student’s Union. They were created to recognise and celebrate the role academic staff and student representatives play in achieving a stimulating, supportive and dynamic student experience at Cardiff University.

This year was a record-breaker, with more than 600 nominations received for the 14 awards that will be handed out at the prize-giving ceremony and black-tie dinner held on Friday 3 May.

Responding to his nomination, Dr Gurney said: “I am delighted to have been shortlisted for this award. I’m now in my 22nd year at Cardiff University and am enjoying teaching students from the School of Geography and Planning and elsewhere more than ever. Being nominated and shortlisted in this category is a special honour as it means that a student or students (I don’t yet know whom!) took the time and trouble to sit down, reflect upon their own learning and then complete the nomination form.

“Innovation has many different meanings and all students and staff undertake daily innovative acts of learning, teaching and collaboration, so it is a real honour that something that I’ve done has been recognised in this way."

"I am obviously grateful to whoever nominated me but also to the Student’s Union for organising the awards.”

In addition to teaching part-time in the School of Geography and Planning, Dr Gurney also teaches in Continuing and Professional Education where he was runner-up in the 2017 Learning and Work Institute Wales’ Adult Education Tutor of the year award.

The School of Geography and Planning has a consistent history of student approval and achieved 94% in the last National Student Survey for overall satisfaction. It would like to wish Dr Gurney, and all other nominees, the very best of luck at the 2018 ESLAs.